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Friday, October 15, 2010

The 2011 excavation season is closer than it might seem and the Gabii Project is now accepting applications from students and volunteers for the 2011 field program via its website. The 2011 season will mark the fifth year of fieldwork at Gabii and we are excited to again bring students into the field and put them in contact with cutting edge methods and techniques in field archaeology.

The program will run from June 19 until July 30, 2011. Applications will be accepted online via the project's website (click on the '2011 application form' at left). The deadline for applying to the program is February 28, 2011; all qualified students are eligible to apply, not just those associated with the University of Michigan. Notifications of acceptance will be made by March 15, 2011, and accepted volunteers must submit their payment in full by April 1, 2011, in order to secure their spot. The cost for the 6-week program, inclusive of room and board, insurance, equipment, and local transportation, will be $4,600 (USD) in 2011. It is not possible to receive academic credit for participation in the field program. The information below outlines some of the basic details of the field program; more complete information can be found on the project website. To apply: please complete the application form linked through the toolbar at the left and submit electronically. Please complete all fields. Then, please be sure to ask two professional recommenders (who know you either from an academic setting or a prior fieldwork experience) to send letters on your behalf to Prof. Jeffrey Becker (gabiiproject-at-umich.edu - replace at with @) by February 28, 2011.

Accommodation:

The Hotel Villa Mercede in Frascati, Italy, will serve as the Gabii Project's base of operations again in 2011. The team will be accommodated there and will take their meals during the week at the Balubino restaurant.

Volunteers will be accommodated in shared rooms (2 to 4 people per room) with a private bathroom.

Convenient local train service links Frascati to downtown Rome and regional buses provide other transportation options.

Work on-site:

Volunteers will work on site 7:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. Applicants should note that this is a labor intensive program and be aware that working long hours in the hot sun is to be expected. Average daytime temperatures will be in the range of above 90˚ F.

Applicants must be in good health, have passed a recent physical examination, and provide up-to-date records of current inoculations.

Volunteers will work in small teams supervised by experienced excavators. Additionally, the field program will expose participants to all facets of fieldwork, including working with ceramics and other archaeological materials, environmental sampling, flotation, topography, conservation, and documentation.

Regular site tours (usually once every 7 to 10 days) will help keep all team members up to speed on the progress of excavation work in the various areas of the site.

Instruction:

The above-mentioned rotation on-site will be accompanied by various instructional opportunities from 'hands on' instruction in excavation techniques to small group instruction on archaeological materials and topography.

The 2011 field program will include a lecture series (averaging 1 lecture per week) on topics related to the methodology field archaeology and to the archaeology of Central Italy.

Several optional weekend outings will be arranged where guided tours will be offered. In 2010 weekend trips included the Forum Romanum and Palatine Hill as well as Ostia Antica.

Atmosphere and Experience:

The Gabii Project is a large team (50+ people) effort. Teamwork is the key to our success, but the working conditions can be intense. The successful applicant will be ready to work as part of a large team and welcome the opportunity to work and learn cooperatively.

The combined experience of the Gabii Project’s multi-national staff offers volunteers the opportunities to learn and practice some of the latest and most cutting edge techniques of field archaeology. Additionally, an excellent staff to student ratio guarantees close instruction in field methodology.

n.b. Students accepted to the field program are encouraged to seek funding sources to support their participation as the Gabii Project does not offer need-based financial support.